


It Has To Begin Somewhere

by Yugi



Series: To Grow Is To Learn [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, And Everyone Loves/Is Crushing On Somebody, And Jason Fell For Percy So Fast, And Percy Just Is So Clueless, Annabeth Is An Annoyed Bi, F/F, F/M, Jason Is A Hopeless Gay, M/M, Multi, Percy Is A Clueless Bi, Somebody Help My Disaster Bi, Thalia Is Straight Lesbian, almost everyone is LGBT+, and you cannot stop me, basically no one is straight, this will be a series, were just starting off in highschool with these gays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-06-07 00:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yugi/pseuds/Yugi
Summary: Jason and Thalia Grace have been trapped moving from state to state by the whim of their absentee mother. However, when it feels like they can finally put their roots down, will they be able to form the connections with others that they so desperately crave? When Jason meets Percy, he believes that this is finally the deep connection that he has been looking for, but he wants to know if Percy could ever feel the same? There's one way to find out, but will Jason be brave enough to go through with it?





	1. Chapter 1

Jason Grace was nervous about starting another new high-school tomorrow. His anxiety kept him awake all night, which was neither a surprise nor an unusual habit. Thalia was sitting against his headboard while he splashed water in his face to try to distract himself from his racing thoughts. There was the sound of rustling sheets, and soft foot steps followed. Jason looked up to see Thalia’s tired gaze meet his in the mirror. She attempted to give him her best reassuring smile, but he saw her tired her eyes were. She was just as exhausted as he was.

 

“Another school, meaning another chance to make friends, right?” Thalia said when the silent staring contest went on for too long. Jason sighed and shrugged his shoulder, rising from the sink.

 

“Another chance to lose those friends again, more like it.” Jason said, unable to keep the bite out of his words. Thalia wrapped her arms around herself and looked away, saying nothing that the silence couldn’t convey. This was their 4th move in a year, and the two siblings were not unfamiliar with the idea of living out of their suitcase. Thalia had less tolerance for it before Jason came into her life, and now she focused on making him feel better about their situation.

 

The older sister sighed and rested her body against the bathroom door frame, looking back at Jason. “You know, I think this will be our last move.” She says, and Jason noticed that she sounded rather confident in her declaration. Curiosity peaked, the boy turned to face his now smirking sister, who was now raising an eye brow at him. Crossing his arms and leaning against the sink, Jason rose an eyebrow in response, asking the question silently.

 

“I’ve done my research this time around, and I found that our birth father lives here. I’ve had this theory for a while now, but I truly believe that we’re staying put. She’s already trying to get into contact with him.” Thalia said, and even though she was trying to keep a straight face, the excitement was clearly visible. “I think we’re finally able to put down our roots, Jay.”

 

Jason couldn’t help but let a smile creep up onto his face. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw it, but now he couldn’t help but be excited to go to school tomorrow and be able to _meet_ people, and actually get to _know_ his new classmates. He flung himself into his sister’s arms be began to laugh into her shoulder. She hugged him hard and was shaking from excitement, pure excitement that Jason hadn’t seen on his sister in so long.

 

Jason hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm, and if either of them cried that night, it was not mentioned in the morning.

 

Jason recalled that moment with fondness as she walked up the steps with his sister the next day. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it all the way to the Office, connected to the Principal’s Office, where they were headed next. The secretary gave them pleasant smiles and handed them each their new schedule for their new school year. He then led them through the door behind his desk and knocked twice before opening it.

 

The principal was sitting behind his desk with warm eyes and a welcoming smile.

 

“Welcome to Olympic High, Mr. and Ms. Grace.” The man said, as the siblings made themselves comfortable in the two chairs in front of his desk. He reached over to shake each of their hands, and Jason couldn’t help but take in the sight before him. The man was in a wheelchair, his legs covered with what looked like a heavy fleece blanket. His brown eyes seemed to shine with intelligence, which were hidden behind a pair of what Jason would call “classic specials”. His hair seemed to be untamed, which contrasted his perfectly trimmed and shaped beard that came to a point.

 

After taking in the site behind him, Jason looked back to see that he’d been observed as well and gave the principal an uneasy smile. Said principal gave a warm one in return and then began to give them a quick rundown of the rules that they were expected to follow.

 

“Children, my name is Mr. Brunner, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” Mr. Brunner said with a warm smile, causing Jason’s lip to twitch in response. He then straightened his back and folded his hands on the desk, looking back Thalia and Jason in the eye. “Now, it has come to my attention that you have moved quite a bit in the past few years, and I would like to reassure you that you will not be given a hard time due to this. Many of our students come from difficult backgrounds, and we have an unspoken rule not to pry. I trust that you will follow this as well.” Thalia immediate nodded, and Jason was quick to follow her lead.

 

“Good! Now I have assigned you each a student that has volunteered their time to teach you the layout of the school and to show you where your classes are. I hope that you each have a great first day here, and if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me; it is a known policy that my door is always open.” The bearded man winked at the new students and sat straight into his wheelchair. Before Jason could begin to think of potential questions, there was a knock on the door. Both new students turned as the door swung open, to reveal what must have been their guides.

 

Jason felt himself stop breathing and found that he couldn’t keep his eyes away from the boy in front of him. He must have been around his age, with black tousled hair and mischievous green eyes. He was smiling brightly at Jason who noticed who white his teeth were, or maybe they looked blindly white with how tan his skin was. He was sporting a blue hoodie with blue jeans that looked a little worse for wear but somehow looked right on him. He was wearing solid black tennis shoes and Jason found that he never thought another being could be this attractive.

 

His sister smacked him out of his daze and the poor boy realized that he’d been staring, and hadn’t noticed the blonde girl glaring daggers at him with her cold grey eyes. Jason gulped and quickly shook his head, returning a hesitant smile back at the boy in front of him. Said boy’s smile only seemed to brighten and Jason thanked everything above that he was able to keep from letting out an embarrassed noise.

 

“Hi there! My name is Percy Jackson, and this is my best friend Annabeth Chase. We’re gonna be showing you around Olympic High, and if you’re ready how ‘bout we get started?” The boy now known as Percy said, and Jason could only nod. Thalia snorted and stood, dragging Jason to his feet and out of the office. Once out of the safety of the office, the girl Annabeth snaked an arm around Percy’s, and Jason found that made him completely snap out of his daze, though he still relied heavily on his dear sister’s support.

 

“I knew he was your type the moment he opened the door, if you can shut your mouth long enough I think you may have a chance.” His sister said in a whisper, and Jason immediately snapped his mouth shut, making a clicking noise that was loud enough to make both Percy and Annabeth turn around.

 

“You okay?” Percy asked him, and if Jason could he would have reassured this very pretty boy that he was completely fine, but for some reason words seem to allude him. Thalia, thankfully, saved him the trouble of responding by doing it herself.

 

“He’s fine, he’s just a little overwhelmed at the moment. How about getting started on the tour? Who’s going with who?” Thalia asked, holding out their schedules to the two students in front of them. Annabeth grabbed both schedules and scanned them over with a critical eye, and lets out a huff of annoyance.

 

“Jason and Percy’s schedules match up almost perfectly, so it would make sense for them to be together. Meaning that I would be happy to show you around, Thalia.” Annabeth said, and Jason realized that this was the first time that he’d heard her speak. Her voice was full of authority, and Percy quickly nodded and grabbed ahold of Jason’s arm, causing the boy to flinch. Thalia immediately pulled him back towards her and sent Percy a look, which caused Annabeth to step in front of him with a look of her own. The air became tense when no one spoke, when finally Thalia said “He doesn’t like being grabbed”.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I won’t do it again.” Percy said, with the most apologetic look on his face that Jason forgot to be freaked out. Jason shook his head, a blush rushing across his face. Annabeth quickly looked over Jason and nodded, backing off and relaxing her stance. Jason couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and carefully dislodged himself from his protective sister.

 

“No, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten with the program. Can we start now?” Jason asked, and Percy quickly nodded and gestured for Jason to follow. He sent his sister a reassuring smile before he was off, walking besides the boy who literally could only be described as _perfect_. He listened eagerly as the energetic boy spoke with excitement about everything Jason was to know about his new school and Jason couldn’t help but admire how animated his new companion was.

 

When the got to their first class, Percy made sure that Jason could sit next to him, and when Jason was asked to give an introduction to the class, Percy gave him a double thumbs up and a bright smile for reassurance. Jason found that he really liked it when Percy smiled. When the introductions were over, Jason noticed a kid in the back of the classroom with a fierce frown who was hunched over his phone, not paying attention to the class at all. His long shaggy hair hid his eye from view, and Jason couldn’t help but want to talk to him.

 

Unfortunately for him, he was sitting in the second row while this interesting kid was sitting way in the back, in the corner no less. Jason made a mental note to catch up with them later, and tried to return his attention back to the lesson. But he found that Percy was doodling, and would occasionally show Jason his newest masterpiece. Jason would draw a smiley face back, which always seemed to cause Percy some amount of joy. Jason felt lucky that he was the cause of that, and the next time Percy shared a new piece, Jason quickly wrote his phone number with another smiley. When Percy saw this, he shot Jason a surprised yet happy expression, and gave him another thumbs up.

 

At lunch, they met up with Annabeth and Thalia, who seemed to be getting along like a house on fire. Jason quickly sat next to Thalia, while Percy sat next to Annabeth who grabbed his hand. Thalia started telling him about her day, and the interesting classes that she’s sat through so far. She even slipped in that they ran into Annabeth’s rival, which caused Annabeth to go on a rant and explain that she doesn’t have a rival, just competition. Jason watch Thalia and Annabeth debate with an amused smile, and caught Percy staring at him.

 

He quickly turned his attention to Percy and raised a brow, only to see the boy blush and quickly start up a conversation about how excited he is to meet such interesting new people. Thalia laughed and returned the compliment in kind. Jason felt something blossom in his chest when he heard Percy laugh in response and saw Annabeth try to hide a smile. He felt warm and comfortable for one, like he actually belonged.

 

Keeping what his older sister said in mind, Jason knew that if he wanted to befriend these people, he might actually have a chance of keeping these people in his life. He caught Percy’s eye and the two smiled warmly at each other. He wanted to badly to reach across and hold the boy’s hand, to squeeze it and plant kisses on it. Jason wondered if Percy’s hand was warm or cool, and if he had soft or rough hands. Percy started to blush under the stare, the tiny dusting of pink under his eyes and Jason found that he wanted to cup those cheeks in his hands.

 

 _‘Yeah, I can get used to getting lost in those eyes’,_ Jason thought, and found that he never wanted something to work so badly. He wanted this to work, whatever _this_ was, and he found that he craved to be around Percy. He wondered if Percy even felt the same way about him, and if he’s being an idiot for thinking these things after just meeting the boy.  But after hearing him laugh at one of Annabeth’s witty comments, Jason found that his heart rate sped up just by looking at the dark haired boy enjoying himself.

 

 _‘I may not know him that_ well’,Jason thought, a hand holding his chin as he watch the other three talk, ‘ _but I know that I want him happy no matter what. I hope that I’m able to be apart of that happiness’._


	2. Chapter 2

When Percy Jackson was first informed by Annabeth that they would be showing around these new transfers, his first thought was: _‘Alright! I get to show somebody the ins and outs of this confusing place! Maybe make their time here a little easier!’_ But that all changed when he saw the people who they were supposed to help.

 

He liked getting to know Jason, even though he was a little quiet. But that could be because of a new environment and new people, and who was Percy to judge? He was just excited to see Jason smile at him, as that was proof enough that they could be friends.

 

When the end of the day hit, Annabeth and Percy both led the newbies to the front entrance, Annabeth explaining that this is how students were to enter and exit the building. Before they left, Thalia gave Annabeth a slip of paper, and Jason gave Percy a high five, which he could help but beam at.

 

Before he could say anything, Jason had turned away and started walking in the direction of what must be their home. Thalia quickly turned around and waved, shouting “I’ll text you!” to Annabeth before turning around and jogging to catch up to her shy brother. Percy watched them until he felt weird about it, and turned to see a concerned Annabeth.

 

“Oh no, what’s wrong?” Percy asked, grabbing onto his backpack straps.

 

“I just want you to be careful, you know it’s important who you trust and who you don’t.” Annabeth said, and Percy let out a sigh, suddenly feeling his good mood slip away.

 

“I know Annabeth, and I am careful. I haven’t sold my soul to him or shared anything super personal. I just think he’s sweet.” Percy said, turning away to the retreating figures of his new friends and headed back towards to the building. Annabeth was hot on his heels, her frown more prominent.

 

“Percy, please take this seriously! You know I care about you, and I want you to be as happy as possible!” Annabeth said, as she took Percy’s hand and forced eye contact. They were only a few feet away from the door, and Percy turned his head and looked at her. He knew that she meant well, and he conveyed that as he squeezed her hand, and gave her a soft smile.

 

“I know, Wise Girl, I’m not going to make past mistakes. Plus, I know that Jason’s shy and doesn’t like to be touched, which I forgot since I am surrounded by people who don’t mind it. Let’s head inside, I got to head to swim practice.” Percy said, and Annabeth squeezed his hand back as they walked back into their school building.

 

She playfully bumps their shoulders together, and Percy retaliated by swinging their arms. Annabeth laughed at this but played along, and Percy couldn’t help but feel honored that she was his best friend.

 

A lot of people assume that they were dating, and the two friends do laugh about that whenever its brought up. They had tried to date in middle school, since they got along so well and cared so much for each other, but they found out very quickly that they worked better as friends. Percy still loved Annabeth dearly, and he would do anything for her, and that’s how their friendship worked.

 

“Hey, I am proud of you for thinking about Jason’s well-being,” Annabeth said, breaking the silence between them, “but you’re allowed to have boundaries too.”

 

Percy nods, but even he knows this is something that he struggles with. Boundaries were something that he learned were not his own to make, which made everything in the past worst than it had to be. A lot of ‘if only-s’ cross his mind, and suddenly he is anxious to get to practice and away from this conversation. Lucky for him, they’re at his stop in front of the gym doors. Percy looks at his phone for the time and then looks back at Annabeth who is still waiting for a reply.

 

“Shoot, I’m gonna be late. Rain check?” Percy said, a forced smile on and he quickly turns away from his best friend before she can respond, opening the gym door and rushing to the locker rooms.

 

He gets to his locker and starts to get ready for practice, but he can’t focus. His mind is still on the conversation he just fled from because he knows that Annabeth has a point, that he needs to establish boundaries. But he also knows that he doesn’t really understand boundaries, because he’s never had them before.

 

Shaking his head, Percy tries to push aside those negative thoughts to focus on swimming. Fully changed, he grabs his goggles and heads over to the lap pool, barely in time. Apologizing to the coach, he leaps into the pool with his teammates and begins to warm up.

 

But he finds himself drifting back to his past, to somebody better left behind, and he can’t help but wonder if he’s to blame, or if the blame solely rests on his shoulders. Percy knows himself, and he knows that he’s very welcoming of outsiders, and maybe he should be more like Annabeth and be more guarded with his heart.

 

That train of thought is immediately demolished with just the thought of Jason. The shy boy who has managed to capture Percy’s attention in a way that Annabeth is able to. His presence is inviting to Percy, and he can’t help but want to get to know Jason more. The thought of a new friend lifts his feelings, and he’s able to push the negativity to the side and focus on his laps, realizing that the coach has been screaming at him for not putting any effort into this practice.

 

Once practice is over, Percy hurries his aching body to the changing room, eager to get home and tell his mother all about the day he’s had. When he’s finally dressed, his swimming suit wrapped haphazardly in his towel, Percy bolts out the door and almost crashes into his other best friend, Grover. His friend readjusts his hold on his arm braces, and gives Percy a surprised look.

 

“Wow dude! Careful where you’re running!” Grover says, his brown eyes still wide with surprised. Percy felt guilty and was quick to apologize.

 

“Sorry, man, I guess I was so in my own head I didn’t see you there. What’s up?” Percy asks, and casually takes Grover’s backpack from him. Said friend rolls his eyes and starts walking towards the exit, causing Percy to start walking as well.

 

“Well, nothing really new with me, but Annabeth told me that you guys were with the newbies today? How’d that go?” Grover asked, glancing over at his best friend. Percy smiled brightly and launched into a full description of his day, and how excited he was to make new friends.

 

“Oh man, Grover, you have got to meet them! They’re just great people who just need to meet other great people, and obviously you’re a great person.”

 

“Gee, thanks.”

 

“Oh hush, you know what I mean! You’re awesome dude! And Jason is awesome too, he just needs to feel more comfortable! He’s just so shy, I wonder what his laugh sounds like…”

 

Grover paused, looking over at his friend with an arched brow. “Is he cute?” Percy, startled out of his thoughts, gave Grover a curious look.

 

“Obviously he’s cute! You’re cute too, but we all know that Annabeth would kill us all in a contest of cuteness.” Percy said, and Grover can only nod knowingly.

 

They walk together in a comfortable silence, Percy softly humming under his breath, and Grover happily listened to his friend. It was when they were climbing the stairs to Percy’s apartment when the peaceful silence was broken.

 

When Percy was about to get the door, it was swung open to reveal an irritated Gabe. Without thinking, Percy stood in front of Grover and got them both out of the possible storm that was brewing, neither one of them saying a word. To both of their surprise, Gabe only acknowledged them as he bumped into Percy toward the stairs. The pair continued to hold their breath until it was clear that Gabe was not coming back.

 

Letting out an anxious laugh, Percy backed away from Grover, who looked just as startled and stressed. After making sure his friend was okay, Percy stiffly made his way to the still opened door, and peered inside. Instantly, his fear and anxiety was forgotten, and when Grover made his way over, both charged into the scene before them.

 

Percy’s mom, Sally, was sitting on the couch crying, her figure trembling, as she tried to hold herself together. There was another man in the room, who looked like he wanted to comfort her, but didn’t seem to know how. Percy took him as the threat and immediately placed himself between his mom and the stranger, giving him a critical look.

 

Grover sat down slowly next to Sally, and grabbed a box of tissues on the small table next to the couch. Quietly, he offered one to Sally, who took a moment to realize who was sitting next to her.

 

In the mean time, Percy began to interrogate the stranger.

 

“Who are you and what did you do to my mother?” He asked, his tone suggesting that whoever this may be, better answer quickly. The stranger seemed to realize this, and ran a shaky hand through his salt-and-pepper hair.

 

“Oh, wow, this is awkward. I see you don’t remember me.” The strange man said, though not unkindly. In fact, he seemed saddened that Percy forgot him. Before Percy could continue asking him questions, his mother grabbed his hand.

 

“Percy, oh my sweet Percy, it’s alright. I’m sorry I’m such a mess right now, but it’s really an easy explanation. If you give me a moment, I can make us some blue tea, and I think I have some blue chocolate-chip cookies I can warm up. This is a conversation that is in need of both.”

 

Percy eases his stance slightly, and takes a quick look around their apartment: the carpet in the living room isn’t stained, still a soft blue. The coffee table looked undisturbed; the dark wood had no new dints in it, and the magazines and loose-leaf looked how Percy left it this morning. Doing a calculated turn, Percy took note that there was nothing thrown at the walls: the potted plants still where he left them in the window seal, the kitchen table still cluttered with mugs and Annabeth’s textbooks, the hallways leading towards the bedrooms seemed perfectly normal. The only odd thing is that the door leading to Gabe’s room was left open, which was odd and a little unsettling to Percy.

 

Sally rose from the couch and headed to the kitchen, with Percy quick on her heels. She started to prepare the tea, not acknowledging her son at first, and put a few of the chocolate chip cookies in the microwave. After she was done preparing the food, she turned toward her son and pulled him into a tight hug. Percy hug her back just as fiercely, now taking note of how badly he was shaking.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice wavering, and his mother pulled back and cupped his face.

 

“I’m okay, he didn’t even touch me.” She said, a small smile on her face, but it was strained. Percy knew his mother enough to know that she was still afraid, but he still didn’t know of what.

 

“I saw him leave, he didn’t even speak to me…” Percy said, looking at his mom who had to know why. Before she could give him the answers, the microwave went off, and alerted Percy to the wonderful smell of his mother’s chocolate chip cookies. His mom gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and went to prepare the food.

 

Without being asked, Percy began to pour the tea into four mugs, and the two walked back the living room area without another word. The scene before them was the same when the left: the man awkwardly standing besides the couch, and Grover sitting comfortably on it, farthest away from the stranger. Percy set the mugs down on the coffee table, as his mom set the cookies next to them. He grabbed two mugs and sat himself next to Grover, offering him one as he took a sip from his own mug. His friend offered him a small ‘thanks’, as if talking too loud would cause the tension in the room to rise.

 

Sally stood next to the man and offered him one of the mugs and cookies. Percy grabbed cookies for him and Grover, then stared down his mother to begin talking. She sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch, and cradled her mug between her hands.

 

“I do want to reintroduce you, Percy, to your old English teacher, Mr. Paul Blofis. Remember, he’s the one who helped discover the fact you had dyslexia?” Sally said, and suddenly the memory clicked inside Percy’s brain.

 

“Oh yeah, sorry for the hostile approach, sir.” Percy said, a embarrassed flush crawled across his face. Paul quickly waved it off, and rested a hand on Sally’s shoulder.

 

“Not at all! I was not expecting to walk into what I saw either, and if I were in your shoes I would have acted the exact same way.” Paul said, and Sally looked at Paul with a soft smile and grabbed the hand on her shoulder.

 

It was that moment that it hit Percy that his mother could be possibly interested in dating the man in front of him. He chanced a glance at Grover, who had a soft knowing smile on his face. He caught Percy’s eye and raised a brow, a silent ask to further explanation.

 

“So… you and Paul? Is that why Gabe was so angry?” Percy asked attentively, catching his mom’s and Paul’s surprised blush. Sally cleared her throat, but didn’t remove her hand from Paul’s.

 

“Well, as you now remember, Paul and I reconnected after I bumped into him at work. He suggested when I finish my shift, we should grab a coffee and catch up. He wanted to make sure you were still doing okay, and we just went from there.” Sally said, and Paul nodded behind her.

 

“The scene you had to witness today, children, was me forgetting about Gabe. I thought that he was usually gone around the time I invited Paul over, but I was mistaken,” Sally said, and Percy caught the distress in her voice. Paul must have too, because he shifted to stand next to her, and squeezed her shoulder, “And when Gabe realized what was happening, he wasn’t very happy about it.”

 

Grover scoffed under his breath, but Percy couldn’t find it in himself to correct him. Saying that Gabe ‘wasn’t very happy’ was an understatement, but for Paul’s sake Percy didn’t correct his mother, and neither did Grover.

 

Ever since they got a divorce, Gabe had been out of the picture in all of their heads. Sally had met a guy who seemed more interested in her than her money, and Percy could forget the awful man who had plagued both his and Grover’s childhoods. When Sally filed, they all believed that Gabe would just move out, as the apartment didn’t have his name in the lease. It’s been almost a year and he still lived there, acting that nothing happened.

 

When a new man showed up, it must have been the tipping point for him. Sally had told her son that she was alright, but Percy worried that had it not been for Paul, what would have happened. Paul and Percy’s eyes meet, and they do a small nod of understanding. Percy nibbles on his cookie, and looks at his nervous mom.

 

‘She deserves to be happy,’ Percy thought, and gave her a warm smile, one that she returned.

 

“Alright, so did we accidently crash date-night?” Grover asked, which broke up the last of the tension in the room and caused Sally to let out a surprised laugh. Percy joined in, leaning a bit more into Grover who wrapped an arm around him. Percy wiggled his eyebrow at her, causing her to laugh harder.

 

“Well? Grover and I can excuse ourselves if that’s the case.” Percy said, Grover nodded seriously in agreement. Sally quickly shook her head, as Paul laughed next to her.

 

“Oh honey no! You can stay, Paul actually wanted to see how you were doing! That’s why he wanted to come over, to see the kiddos! And to meet Grover!” Sally said, as she tried to explain the situation quickly. Paul was still blushing, but he nodded in agreement.

 

“If I were to come over more often, I wanted to make sure you both were okay with that.” Paul said, and Percy turned his head toward Grover, who already had his eyes on him.

 

“Are we cool with my old teacher hanging out in the apartment?”

 

“Yeah, that’s chill.”

 

“Do you think Annabeth would approve?”

 

Grover paused before answering, and gave Paul another once-over.

 

“I think she could possibly warm up to him.” Grover said, coming to his own conclusion. Percy nodded in agreement and turned toward his potential new father figure.

 

“Alright, sir, you can chill with my mom and hang out in the apartment. But you better behave, or you’ll hear about it from Annabeth.” Percy said, and Paul could only nod, appearing to accept this Annabeth without having any knowledge of her. Grover gave Percy a squeeze with his arm before he let go, and grabbed his arm braces.

 

Taking that as a que to leave, Percy got up and helped Grover get situated. He then grabbed both of their backpacks, and gave his mom another smile.

 

“You two crazy kids stay safe if you’re going out, we’ll leave you be!” Percy said, and turned on his heel to go to his and Grover’s room.

 

Opening their shared room and letting Grover in first, Percy threw their backpacks by their respective desks. Grover always kept himself somewhat organized, not exactly color-coded perfect but he knew how to keep things tidy. Percy’s desk was messy, cluttered with notes and worked out problems that gave him more trouble than he’d liked. He has blue high-lighters sprawled across his desk, high-lighting notes on things he found important.

 

Grover made his way to his bed, the bottom of the bunkbed that was pushed against the way closest to the door. Percy threw himself on his blue beanbag and made himself comfortable, kicking off his shoes and stretching dramatically, Grover watching in amusement.

 

“So, we were interrupted before, but don’t think for a second you’re off the hook.” Grover said, and Percy groaned and flopped over on his beanbag, so he was facing his best friend. “I want to know more about Jason.”

 

Percy blinked, but shrugged his shoulders and began to go into more depth about the person he met today. He doesn’t seem to notice the creeping smile on his face, or how happy he sounds.

 

“You know, I think we could just be really great friends! He has a positive vibe around you, you know, and there’s just something about him that makes me what to see him be successful. He’s almost like a Superman character; a guy with a heart of gold just wanting to do the right thing, you know? That’s just the energy I get from him!” Percy said, sighing happily. Grover just looked at him with fondness, and affectionately rolled his eyes.

 

“Dude, that sounds pretty gay to me.” He said jokingly, causing Percy to laugh.

 

“Should sound more bi to you, but I guess gay can work here.” Percy said in response, causing Grover to laugh then let out an exaggerated groan.

 

“Oh my GOD we GET IT you are NOT the STRAIGHT!” The brown-haired boy said with sarcasm, which sent both of the boys into a fit of laughter.

 

Percy wiped the tears falling off his face and gets comfortable in his beanbag. “This is why you’re my best friend.” Percy said, which got him a exasperated gasp in response.

 

“Bro…”

 

“You know this to be true!”

 

“Okay but what would Jason say?” Grover asked, and Percy had to pause to think about an answer.

 

“I don’t know… I think I just want to hang out with him so much more? And get to know more about him and what his hobbies are? See if maybe there’s something for him at school so he can start feel more comfortable? I guess Jason would be considered a friend, but I just don’t know yet!” Percy said, and flopped once more on his beanbag for emphasis.

 

Grover just shrugged at his friend’s antics. “Why don’t you just invite him over tomorrow at school? I’d love to meet him.” That suggestion light up Percy’s whole face, and he grinned in response.

 

“That would be awesome! I think I will, thanks Grover!”

 

“No problem, Seaweed Brain, now let’s actually focus on something school related that isn’t Jason. Like your math quiz coming up?” Grover said, and Percy groaned in response.

 

“Dude, I take it back, you are no longer my best friend.”

 

“Ha, okay let’s see what we’re working with.”

 

After finally understanding the new math formula, Percy completed his math assignment with little to no questions, which allowed Grover to get started on his own homework. A few hours later resulted in Percy highlighting an entire paragraph for his English class for a class discussion, and Grover lamenting over GMOs for his Environmental Studies class. After he saw what time it was Percy declared it ‘bed time’, and slammed his book shut. Grover stretched his arms high over his head, and began his daily ritual for pre-bed time.

 

Percy waited for his friend to finish, thoughts of Jason hovering above all his thoughts. He wonders what Jason will talk about in English tomorrow, and he found himself eager for another day with the shy boy.

 

After Grover made it out of the bathroom, Percy gave him a good night pat on the head, and began his own pre-bed time rituals. When he was done, he found Grover half asleep in his bed, and carefully climbed the latter to the top bunk. He leaned his head over, to see Grover was awake enough to blow him a kiss. Percy blew up one back and winked at him, causing his best friend to chuckle sleepily and to shift to a more comfortable position.

 

Percy sank into his own bedding, feeling his muscles ache from practice that felt so long ago, as the begged for rest. Percy felt his eyes drift close, and allowed sleep to take him.

 

The next day had Grover, Annabeth, and Percy walking into school together, Grover excusing himself to talk to his partner Juniper, who was waiting to walk to class with him. Percy waved him good bye and the two others proceeded to class. Before Annabeth begins to remind Percy of important things that need to be done, the two almost run literally into Thalia and Jason, who look a little overwhelmed but relieved when they see who’s bumped into them.

 

Percy’s first instinct is to pat them both in an apology, but quickly corrects himself and instead grabs Annabeth’s hand and grins at their new friends.

 

“Hey guys! Need some help?” Percy asked, and Jason shifted nervously before nodding.

 

“I didn’t want to bother you, but I think I need a few more days to get used to the school’s layout.” Jason said, and Thalia nodded in agreement.

 

“That’s not a problem at all! I know we’re in the same classes, so it won’t bother me one bit. Let’s get going, okay?” Percy asked, and Jason lets out a relieved smile and replies with a soft “okay.”

 

Percy squeezes Annabeth’s hand once, and after he got a squeeze in return he let go and started to lead Jason in the right direction. The two begin to talk about how the reading that they had for English was interesting, but there were certain things that Percy didn’t get that Jason spent time explaining. Percy found himself growing fond of Jason, and questions are fighting to be asked, just on the tip of his tongue, about anything and everything that he was willing to share.

 

He also finds himself eager to share secrets with Jason as well. If Jason asked him a personal question, Percy found that he would be more than willing to tell him. He doesn’t know what exactly that means, but he does know that he would love to get to know this shy boy better.

 

The two walk into their first period class, and sit in their respective seats. They got their a little early, and Percy thought that now would be a good time to ask Jason if he was busy this weekend. He turned toward Jason to ask his question, only to find that Jason was turned toward him and about to speak.

 

“Hey, Percy?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you busy this weekend?”

 

Percy tried not to let his excitement show too much as he shook his head. Jason gave him a hopeful smile.

 

“Then, would you like to hang out, maybe, some time?”

 

“Jason, there is nothing more I would like to do more!” Percy said, a wide smile on his face.

 

“Really?” Jason asked, a bit surprised. Percy nodded with barely contained excitement.

 

“Yeah! I was going to ask if you wanted to hang at my place this weekend! You can meet my really great friend Grover, he’s cool and he’s already said that you sound cool and wants to meet you too! This is going to be so great!” Percy said, and Jason is giving him a bigger smile now, not that timid smile he was hiding behind before.

 

Percy counts that as a victory.

 

Before they could get into the specifics, the teacher walks in and immediately starts taking morning attendance. Percy shoots Jason another smile, and tries to focus on what their teacher is saying. Right now, he’s not too concerned with what they’ll be doing this weekend, Percy’s just excited that Jason wanted to hang out with him. They can plan that stuff maybe around lunch time, or later.

 

The important thing is that Jason wants to be Percy’s friend, and Percy can’t help the big smile that kept sliding onto his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this update!! Stay tuned to find out more of the story, and updates to the series!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait!!

Thalia Grace would be a blind fool if she didn’t admit that what she was currently witnessing was puppy love. Her brother may not realize it, but when he first laid eyes on this Percy Jackson, he grew some serious heart eyes. He’s been a flustered mess ever since, she could clearly see what a mess he was just by sitting across from him and his new found crush. Watching him fumble over his words and his actions was enough proof for Thalia that her brother was in deep.

 

Of course, she was very protective of her younger brother. Her baby bro knew what he wanted, but did this Percy guy know that? Was he committed to making connections with her boy? After witnessing their behavior at lunch, she could say with 100% honesty that yes, he was. But could also see that Percy may have not realized how hard he’d fallen. 

 

Thalia was able to see that this puppy love was not at all one-sided, and in fact Percy was head over heels for her brother. She saw it in the way that Percy leaned into her brother when they talked, how he would laugh and grab onto Jason out of pure happiness. She noticed how pleased Jason was every time he got his crush to laugh. That’s why she stopped stepping between them, amused and pleased by this developing friendship, and was no small amount of curious what this friendship could turn into. Thalia decided to confirmed her suspicious with Annabeth, her closest friend right now, about this current “puppy love” situation. 

 

They were sitting in a study hall they happened to have together, and Thalia decided that it was the perfect time to bring up her mental plight.

 

“So Percy and Jason are in puppy love?” She asked, which caused Annabeth to groan and flop her head on a pile of books she was previously taking notes on.

 

“If I have to hear how perfect Jason is with the title ‘friend’ attached afterwards, I’m gonna lose it!” Annabeth said, burying her fingers into her curly golden hair. Thalia raised her eyebrows in surprise, but couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

 

“You too? Every time I get home, Jason will tell me every cute thing that Percy did that day, and ‘Oh my GOD how can such a perfect being exist? Thalia help he’s too pretty!’” Thalia said, as she threw a arm over her eyes and sighed dramatically, which caused Annabeth to snort in surprise.

 

“That’s how it is! Exactly like that! These boys are helplessly in love with each other! One’s too shy to admit it and the other just hasn’t put the pieces together yet!” Annabeth said, as she slumped in her seat, notes completely forgotten. Thalia shook her head in sympathy and copied her friend’s posture. 

 

“So, what are we going to do about it?” She asked, and Annabeth paused, thoughts visibly racing through her head. 

 

“Well, we can leave it as it is, or we can helpfully nudge them in the right direction. I’ve also been meaning to apologize for my behavior earlier; I’m a bit protective when it comes to people who want to be more than friends with Percy.” Annabeth said, looking Thalia in the eyes while she spoke. Thalia was thrown by this change of conversation, but it caused her to grow curious. 

 

“That’s okay, I get it. I’m the same way with Jason. But did something bad happen to Percy?” She asked, and a dark look fell over Annabeth’s features. She looked as if she’d been plotting revenge on whomever was on her mind, and there was no mercy in that expression. Thalia felt like she need to quickly backtrack, but Annabeth held up a hand, as if to stop her from the attempt. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and visibly calmed down when she let it out. 

 

“Let’s just say it is not my story to tell. Percy will share when he’s comfortable, but all I can say is that it was really, really, bad. He still has issues because of what happened within that relationship. So, whenever somebody tries something with him, I feel the need to step in. I know I come off overbearing, but after seeing what he went through, it’s hard not to.” Annabeth said, and Thalia carefully nodded, as she absorbed the information that was shared.

 

‘Percy must have some creppy possessive ex that must have been a huge dick’, Thalia thought. She knew the type, and the thought makes her stomach crawl. Jason was nothing like that, he loved with all his heart, a true romantic that cried tears of happiness whenever he saw a cute couple. But Annabeth doesn’t know, this, and Thalia was beginning to panic because she didn’t know how to tell her that Jason was really an honest guy. However, Annabeth must have noticed her internal struggle, because she reached over and poked her with her pencil eraser. 

 

“I know your Jason is an extremely pure boy. I know he will never become as vile as that other guy. Just, we take precautions, because when Percy falls, he falls hard. We just didn’t want to see him go through a nasty break up all over again, even a worse relationship.” Annabeth said, and Thalia felt the gears turn in her head. Not only was the relationship awful, but the breakup was so bad that Annabeth and some others have made a Percy Protection Squad? 

 

‘If Jason knew he’d sign himself up right away’, Thalia thought, and then realized she had a very important question for her friend. 

 

“Is there anything that I can tell Jason that you’ve told me?” She asked, her series of questions quickly shot down when Annabeth viciously shook her head. 

 

“No, He can’t know. I just told you the basics because I felt the need to apologize. Don’t make me regret it.” Annabeth said, and Thalia nodded. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’m not that much of a bitch. I thank you for your vote of confidence, that’s high standing around these parts.” Thalia said, which levitated some tension between them. Annabeth leaned back into her seat and shrugged, a small smirk on her lips. 

 

“Well, I have a higher standard than some people. And if that standard is not met then I simply don’t waste my time.” She said, and Thalia let out a low whistle.

 

“I love being your friend.”

 

“Likewise, now, I really have to take these notes. We can continue this conversation later.” 

 

Thalia groaned, because she had so many questions to ask, but she too resumed her work during the rest of their study hall, though she remained distracted. What exactly had happened between Percy and Jason, and will they be okay if either try to pursue a romantic relationship?

 

The bell rang, which startled Thalia out of her thoughts. Annabeth just sighed and slammed her book shut, clearly not pleased with the amount of work that she got done. Thalia noticed that her friend’s completion stack was much higher than her own, making her realize she’d have much more homework that needed to be done tonight. 

 

“I got to run to my debate club, do you want me to walk you out before I go?” Annabeth asked, already packing out her things at an impressive speed. Thalia rose from her seat and stretched her back. 

 

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d hate for you to be late to your club, though.” Thalia said, and Annabeth made a shooing gesture at her. 

 

“Nonsense, let’s get going. I bet Percy and Jason will already be at the main doors, I bet that Seaweed Brain forgot that he had swim today too.” Annabeth said, but not unkindly. Thalia could tell that she meant it in an affectionate way, even though the words were a bit harsh. 

 

The two gathered the rest of their things and began the journey to the front doors, walking through winding hallways that clubs were already getting ready. Thalia glanced around, and spotted a kid with dark black hair sitting in a classroom, holding what looked like cards. She wondered who he was, and why he was in a class all by himself. 

 

Before she could expand on that thought, they were at the front doors, Annabeth shoving them open and all but dragging Thalia through them. 

 

“Look, I was right, there they are.” Annabeth said, though her voice lacked her usual bite. Thalia was starting to wonder if her and Jason were growing on her. 

 

As they approached, it was Percy who first noticed them. He smiled and waved them over, causing Annabeth to huff, but a smile pulled at the edges of her mouth. 

 

“Annabeth! Thalia! Hey! Jason and I were just making plans for this weekend! Ah man, we’re going to hang at my place and eat pizza! He’s going to meet Grover! It’s gonna be great!” Percy said, and Jason smiled and watched his starry-eyed friend tell the two others about their recently made plans. Annabeth nodded approvingly. 

 

“Good, Grover will be happy to meet him.” She said, and Thalia barely held her eye-roll. She was just told by Annabeth herself that Jason met her high standards, but Thalia mentally sighed and shook her head. The older sister supposed that the act of over protective siblings is hard to stop once it’s been started. Annabeth shot her a warning look, and Thalia had to bite her lip to prevent a knowing smile. She’d keep up the act for Annabeth’s sake, but not for much longer. 

 

Percy didn’t seem to notice any of this, and only nodded enthusiastically. 

 

“Yeah! I’m really excited for my two best bros to meet!” Percy said, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow in surprise. She knew that Percy latched on, but even she was surprised with how quickly her dear friend latched onto others. Annabeth nodded her head, and casually looked at her watch.

 

“By the way, Pers, you have practice today.” Annabeth said, and Percy’s smile dropped right off his face. Thalia almost felt bad that he had to go to his practice, even though he willingly signed up for it, and seemed to enjoy the activity. 

 

“Right, yeah okay, I’ll talk to you later Jason! Make sure to text me!” Percy said, making an attempt to reach for Jason, but aborting at the last second to grab Annabeth’s hand. Thalia had noticed this several times, but she was always curious as to why Annabeth was somebody Percy had no restraints with. 

 

Annabeth must has sensed her question, because she shot her another look that screamed ‘we’ll talk later’, and Thalia gave her a nod in response. After their heart-to-heart, Thalia knew she had much to learn about the situation her brother was inserting himself into. Plus, Thalia was beginning to consider Annabeth to be her closest friend she’s ever had. Of course, that didn’t include Jason, but she had never had another close girl friendship before, and she was determined to keep it. If that meant she had to wait for answers, then so be it. 

 

Annabeth tugged Percy toward the direction of the pool, and before they left, Percy gave them one last wave goodbye. Thalia then turned toward her heart-eyed brother, looking after Percy like he had discovered some precious jewel. Thalia bumped his shoulder to get his attention. 

 

“Hey, why don’t you tell me about your day as we walk home?” Thalia asked, and Jason gave her the happiest smile she’d seen on him in a while. That smile alone was worth the countless stories about Percy through the eyes of her brother, some of them being old and some of them as new as today. Jason had just finished his latest story, he paused and stopped walking. He then looked up at Thalia, who had almost tripped over him. He grabbed a fistful of his hair and looked away from his sister’s face. 

 

“I can’t explain why he means so much to me. I haven’t known him for that long, and yet he seems to just understand me. He doesn’t try to ask questions about my touch thing, and he even goes out of his way to respect it. I don’t know how we found him but I dunno what I’ll do without him.”

 

Jason just sighs, and Thalia braced herself mentally. She was both curious and worried about what was about to come out of her brother’s mouth. He turned toward her before he spoke, clearly bracing himself for whatever he was about to say. 

 

“He’s just so kind to me? And he just keeps asking me if I’m okay and I’m not used to that. He just is so pretty when he smiles, laughs, and his eyes sparkle! Whenever he gets excited his eyes get so bright and he talks so fast that sometimes it can be hard to follow but! I just can’t help but want to understand and know what makes him so happy? Thalia I don’t know what to do with all of these feelings.” Jason said, and Thalia saw he was shaking. He was so confused his body didn’t even know how to respond, and her heart went out for him. When she had her first gay panic, she at least had it in the privacy of her own mind. She signed and grabbed her brother’s shoulders, who seemed to relax under the touch. 

 

“Listen, I can’t help you out there Jay, but what I can do is offer you some advice. I know you guys made plans right? See if he wants to do something else after those plans, maybe go see a movie or something? Maybe he would even want to go swimming with you, who knows? See what he’s down to do, and then slowly go from there.” Thalia said, slowly rubbing circles into her brother’s arms. His breathing seemed to calm down, but the shaking lingered.   
“Thanks sis, that’s a great idea. I dunno why I freaked out when Percy invited me over to his house, I guess it’s because it’ll be the very first time I’ve been over there, and I want to leave the right impression, you know?” Jason asked, and Thalia nodded wisely, aware of how important a first impression was. So she mentally crossed off anything she was doing this weekend and resigned herself to the fate of being Jason’s wing-man. 

 

“Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to get home, we’re going to get you into a killer outfit that will impress the socks right off Percy and his mom, and you will be so pleased with yourself. Sound like a plan?” Thalia asked, and Jason quickly nodded and the siblings continued their walk home together, Jason and Thalia talking strategy the entire way. 

 

It was when they entered the kitchen, their spirits high and their excitement even higher, that the presence of their mother went undetected for the first couple seconds. In fact, it was only Thalia who seemed to notice her, and she didn’t stop her excited brother from rushing to his room to prepare the outfit that they had recently been discussing. When Thalia was certain her brother was in the safety of his own room, she slowly made her way over to the ticking time-bomb that is their mother. 

 

And there she was; a beautiful picture soiled with bitterness and heartbreak. Her blonde hair hung curled over her shoulders, which were for once not hunched in on themselves. Her usual fancy attire had not been abandoned, her red blouse hung off her shoulders elegantly, tucked neatly into her high-waisted black skirt, her matching red high heels surprisingly still on her feet. Her face was rested in her palm, her perfectly kept nails tapping a steady rhythm against her cheek. That was when Thalia noticed the glass of wine her mother had been drinking, with a decent amount missing from the bottle nearby. Deciding that she was not going to be the first to break, Thalia awkwardly hovered behind her mother, who continued to stare into her glass, as if it held all the answers to the universe. The unease within Thalia climbing higher the longer nobody talked, and she was tempted to just leave before her mother spun around in her bar stool, looking directly at her. Her full face still looked flawless, even after being out of the house for hours. Thalia knows that she would have been a very beautiful lady had it not been for the heart break. Or the alcohol, but she knew that she wouldn’t win that fight tonight.

 

Her mother had a smile gracefully painted on her face, which cased Thalia to feel the waves of anxiety rising rapidly within her. It was not long after her mother turned around, that the silence between then had been broken. 

 

“Thalia, I am so pleased to see you, as I have great news! Your father wants to come over for dinner this weekend and would like for his children to be there. He is so very excited to meet you two and get to know each one as an individual. I believe that was the wording he chosen… yes that sounds familiar… Anyway! I would greatly appreciate it if you and your brother would look presentable at dinner on Saturday. He said he couldn’t come at 5:30, but could make it at 6:00, so make sure to be on your best behavior.”

 

Thalia knew the conversation was over. She knew that she was not expected to respond, or even show that she had been listening. But she had been, and normally she would do as her mother said. But Jason had plans this weekend. Plans that would break his heart if he would not be able to follow through with them. Plans that Thalia herself had spent the past 45 minutes hyping him up for. With all of that in mind, Thalia decided that it was time to place a stern foot down. 

 

“Mother, Jason actually cannot do this weekend, as he had plans with somebody from school. Would our father be willing to meet us another day that isn’t Saturday, say a Sunday breakfast?” Thalia asked, and immediately saw the shift from “tolerant” to “unacceptable” in her mother’s eyes, and braced for the worse.

 

“How dare you? I am your mother, and this even is something that this family has been waiting for for a very long time. I will not allow your petty teenage drama to ruin this for me. Tell Jason that his plans are canceled, and that I expect to see him in his Sunday’s best on Saturday. That is the end of this conversation.” Her mother said, but Thalia wasn’t finished. She calmed her breathing before responding, a half-baked idea forming in the back of her head as she was responding. 

 

“Now listen, I actually have a special friend for our father to meet, and if he’s coming this Saturday, I think it would be the perfect time for him to meet my friend. In fact, my friend has been dying to meet the man that taught me everything I know. Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to show them who that man is?” Thalia asked, and her mother looked angrier. She closed her eyes and let out deep breathes. It was on breath 5 that she opened her eyes, and her mind had clearly been made. 

 

“That is acceptable, make sure that this friend of yours does not embarrass me, and make sure you explain the dress code. I want this night to be perfect, young lady, do you hear me? One slip up and maybe this “friend” of yours might not make it through the whole night.” Her mother said, and Thalia felt her anger boil over before she could stop herself.

 

“My friend will be able to wear whatever she wants, and because she is my friend I hope you will respect her. If you do not, maybe you won’t make it through the whole night. Think about it; what do I have left to lose?” Thalia asked, and when she saw the message sink into her mother, she decided that it would be best to take her leave. Thalia quickly turned away from her mother, state of sobriety unknown, and walked into Jason’s room, who seemed to not have heard anything that had taken place. Thalia thanked every lucky star out there that she didn’t get into a screaming match with her mother, as she is prone to do. 

 

“Don’t worry, this outfit is fool-proof. You’ll look stunning but not like you’re trying too hard. Even though I know that you will be trying very hard to win that entire neighborhood over.” Thalia said, seeing her brother, as predicted, pacing the length of his room, the date outfit laid carefully across the bed. Jason paused, and shot his sister a quick smile before resuming his pacing. 

 

“I know, I’m just nervous. I hope that his mom likes me, I hope this ‘Grover’ likes me, I dunno what I’ll do is Percy doesn’t like me.” Jason said, panic creeping into his voice. Thalia quickly made his way other to him and grabbed his shoulder for a second time that day.

 

“Jay, breathe, you already know Percy likes you. I know you can charm your way into anyone’s heart. Just turn on the charm a little, and you got it. Just remember I’m only a text message away. And to pack an overnight bag.” Thalia said, and Jason nodded, changing his pacing into collecting items he’d need for an overnight stay. She smiled and wished him a good night and good luck and left his room for her own. 

 

When she entered, she felt her own heart racing. Not only did she stand up to her mother for the first time in a long time, but she promised to bring a guest as a means to get Jason out of the situation. She had not idea how she was going to lie about that, when the thought of ‘Annabeth’ struck her mind. Before she could fully process what she was doing, she had sent a text to Annabeth asking if she knew a girl that would be willing to play the part of a fake girlfriend for her. And if they would be available this weekend, Saturday, at 6:00PM. 

 

Annabeth was quick to respond with a contact, stating that if anyone could be the perfect girlfriend for the day, and since she personally couldn’t due to debate club, this “Piper” chick was the best second choice. Thalia thanked her new wingman and best friend and quickly saved the contact. She then sent her a message, reading: 

 

“Hey, my name is Thalia. Annabeth said you could charm the pants off of anyone, and you’d be a great fake girlfriend for a day. What can I do to convince you that this is a good idea?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! I have intentions on making this a series, with much more back story that may explain certain characters' behaviors, plus a whole sub plot that I am super excited about. Stay tuned!!


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